Thomas gets to know her new job as Stroudsburg borough manager

Tuesday

"The area is just beautiful, as far as the scenic beauty of it, the terrain, the mountains, hiking opportunities and open space," she said of her first impression of the Poconos.

Thomas has only been to the area a couple of times and is in the process of moving here with her husband, Michael Dickinson, who works as managing editor of the Rochester Business Journal.

She began her new role as borough manager on Monday.

Thomas brings with her a lot of experience, having worked as a professional municipal manager for nearly three decades.

For the past seven years, she worked as city administrator for New Castle, Del.

Prior to her time in Delaware, she served 12 years as a town supervisor in Webster, N.Y., a position equivalent to mayor.

Thomas had to run for election every two years to keep that position.

"I was getting ready to run my seventh time, when I decided I would like to try to get appointed somewhere," she said.

There are many similarities between New Castle and Stroudsburg, she said.

The communities both have about the same geographical and population size. The municipal offices also have a similar number of employees.

Thomas was impressed with Stroudsburg's neighboring municipalities, Stroud Township and East Stroudsburg Borough, which share a police force and the Stroud Region Open Space and Recreation with the borough.

"There's a lot of nitty-gritty for me to get used to, but at the same time, I've been doing this job for a long time and I'm still very motivated," she said.